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Out West Food Review is based in Flagstaff, Arizona but our reviews include local restaurants and regional chains in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and western California.For more stories about great things to do in the western US, check out Angele's travel column for Examiner.com.

November 29, 2011

Aloha Hawaiian BBQ
16 E. Rte 66 (Across from Black Bean and next to Flagstaff Brewing Co.)
Downtown
Flagstaff, AZ
928-774-3922
Menu: see the bottom of this story
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ is Flagstaff's only current Hawaiian restaurant. This small but friendly fast food join puts everything in wasteful styrofoam containers, cups and uses all plastic silverware. That might be great for their cleanup but not so great for the environment. Most Flagstaff restaurants are very eco-concious so it is shocking to see a brand new Flagstaff joint have these types of policies that aren't really inline with community values. That said the food has a good flavor and is decently priced.

On our first visit, we tried the recommended (and one of the most ordered, along with the BBQ mix of chicken, beef and short ribs, we were told) Aloha plates: Chicken Katsu. It comes in two sizes - regular and mini. The mini is plenty big for lunch. The chicken isn't all white meat, which was disappointing but it was tastily breaded and fried. It comes with a tangy islandy-tasting sauce that compliments the crust nicely.

We also got the regular size of the BBQ beef. It has a wonderful flavor, which reminded us of Thai beef sticks. I'd definitely order that again. Both plates comes with a tiny scoop of plain jane white rice that is nothing to write home about and a scoop of macaroni salad that is basically mac pasta with mayo. It's only but again, nothing special. These seem like perfect dishes to serve some sort of fruit or vegetable with but most dishes don't come with either. The menu does show veggies with the bowls - so I would try that next time instead. Also for veggie lovers, they have an off menu plate of mixed vegetables with rice and mac for sides.
All in all, I like the friendliness of the folks at the restaurant and I like the unique (for Flagstaff) dishes but I'm not overly impressed with the restaurant. It will be a good occasional stop on the out-to-eat circuit but most days I'd rather go to one of the many wonderful Thai restaurants nearby.MONEY SAVING TIP: Be sure to pick up one of their menus posted outside the doors. They have several good coupons!
Take a look at their menu below:

November 5, 2011

November is *the* month when it comes to national
food holidays – as it has the biggest of them all: Thanksgiving, a day
dedicated to sharing delectable foods like oven roasted turkey, homemade
cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie. What’s not to love. There are
several other food holidays this month too that you can eat your way merrily
through. Here’s a list of a few of them and where to celebrate in Flagstaff…

Nov.
11: National Sundae Day – While I think Sundae Day should
always be on a Sunday, it’s not. That’s okay, try Flagstaff’s new sweet spot
that lets you create your own sundaes with anything you want: YogurtU (1061 S. Plaza Way – behind Panda
Express). This place lets you serve yourself to however much frozen yogurt you
want (try the cake batter flavor) and top it with a salad bar of ingredients
from sprinkles to gummy bears and everything in between. Genius!

Nov.
14: National Pickle Day – Celebrate right with a fried
pickle from none other than Café Pickles
(7 N. San Francisco). Order ‘em as an app for a different but delish dish that
will satisfy the taste buds.

Nov.
16: National Fast Food Day – No need to go to a national
chain, pop on in to the locally owned and operated Louie’s Chicken Shack (2116 E Route 66 and the new location on
Milton). These guys do a nice job on their chicken strips. They’re fresh and
well-seasoned. They just opened up their second location in October, about a
year and a half after opening their first location, so they must be doing something
right!

Nov.
17: National Baklava Day – Eat this Mediterranean dessert
made with phyllo dough, nuts, butter, sugar and a sweet syrup at Greek Islands (109 E. Phoenix Ave.).
This hole in the wall serves up a nice sticky layered dessert that makes the
perfect ending to your meal here.

Nov.
21: Gingerbread Day – Have none other than a gingerbread
man for a treat today. Bookman’s Café
(1520 S. Riordan Ranch St.) sells soft, chewy and oh so sweet gingerbread men
that will delight your inner child spirit and your taste buds.

Nov.
24: Thanksgiving – If you’re looking to give mom and
break and go out to eat, The Cottage
Place (126 W. Cottage Ave.) does a fabulous upscale Turkey Day five course feast.
Do make reservations early, as they do book up quickly. Call 928-774-8431 to
reserve.

Nov.
28: National French Toast Day - Being
this falls on a Monday, celebrate a day early with Sunday brunch at Josephine’s(503 N. Humphreys St.). Order the
brioche french toast topped with bananas flamed in rum brown sugar
sauce topped
with pecans.